'This Week' Transcript 9-29-24: Rep. Tom Emmer, Former Sen. Jeff Flake and John Kirby

A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, September 29, 2024 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive.

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN RUSH AND PREFEED TRANSCRIPTS IS A BEST POSSIBLE TEXTUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE APPLICABLE CONTENT. WHILE EFFORTS ARE MADE TO PROVIDE AN ACCURATE TRANSCRIPTION, THERE MAY BE MATERIAL ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INACCURACIES IN THE REPORTING OF THE SUBSTANCE OF THE RUSH AND PREFEED TRANSCRIPTS FILES DUE TO AUDIO IMPAIRMENTS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC "THIS WEEK" CO-ANCHOR: The homestretch.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Get out and vote. Save our country.

RADDATZ: The vice presidential candidates prepare to face off.

GOV. TIM WALZ, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Kamala Harris and I, we believe in the American people.

SEN. JD VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The team that actually has a plan is the team of Trump-Vance.

RADDATZ: As Kamala Harris campaigns on the southern border.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The issue of border security is not a new issue to me.

RADDATZ: Just 37 days until Election Day.

Mary Bruce reports from the campaign trail. Plus, former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake and House Republican Whip Tom Emmer join us.

Deepening conflict. Israel launches massive strikes in Beirut, killing Hezbollah's leader, and vows to fight on.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We will fight until we achieve victory. Total victory.

RADDATZ: We get the latest reaction from White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby.

Plus –

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mostly we hear are shooting back. Sometimes we hear it get closer.

RADDATZ: Reflections from an American living on Israel's volatile northern border 36 years after we first met. Then and now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: From ABC News it’s THIS WEEK. Here now, Martha Raddatz.

RADDATZ: Good morning, and welcome to THIS WEEK.

Just a hair over one month to go before we elect a new president. And the race could not be tighter. The campaigns doubling their efforts to win over undecided voters in battleground states that could decide it all. The candidates crisscrossing the map this weekend, including the two vice presidential nominees who are set to face off on the debate stage in just two days. This during a week that shook the world with the targeted assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, prompting more fears of a wider war.

We will get to that later in the broadcast, but first to the campaigns. At a rally in Wisconsin Saturday, former President Donald Trump ramped up his personal attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris' intelligence, going as far as calling her “mentally impaired,” in what Trump himself admitted was a dark speech.

Meanwhile, Harris is working to boost her standing on issues where Trump still holds the lead. The latest polls showing her closing the gap with Trump on trust to handle the economy, but she still trails by a wide margin on the issue of immigration.

So, on Friday, she traveled to the border in Arizona. Our chief White House correspondent, Mary Bruce, was there and starts us off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY BRUCE, ABC NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With just over five weeks until Election Day, Kamala Harris, this week, going on offense, trying to tackle what polls show is one of her campaign's biggest vulnerabilities, immigration.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The American people deserve a president who cares more about border security than playing political games and their personal political future.

BRUCE (voice over): In battleground Arizona Friday, Harris visiting the southern border for the first time in over three years, well aware voters see this as a winning issue for Donald Trump.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And she's not going to ever do anything for the border, and she didn't even want to get tough now, except her poll numbers were tanking.

BRUCE (voice over): A new poll in Arizona finding likely voters trust the former president 56 percent to 41 percent over Harris to do a better job handling immigration and border security. Harris now trying to close that gap, vowing to continue the Biden administration's crackdown on illegal border crossings, promising to surge resources and agents to the border, and blaming Trump for tanking the bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year.

HARRIS: Those who cross our borders unlawfully will be apprehended and removed and barred from re-entering for five years. We will pursue more severe, criminal charges against repeat violators.

BRUCE (voice over): While apprehensions at the southern border surged under the Biden-Harris administration to over 7 million, peaking in December with 250,000. On the ground in Nogales, Border Patrol tell us they've seen a noticeable drop.

BRUCE: Since President Biden enacted those new asylum restrictions back in June, they have seen a drastic decrease in the encounters along the border, 60 percent in this sector alone.

BRUCE (voice over): As Harris made her case in Arizona, her running mate, Tim Walz, in the swing state of Michigan Saturday, wooing Wolverine fans as they faced off against his home team, the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Trump also making a college gameday stop down in Tuscaloosa at the Alabama/Georgiagame. While Alabama is solidly red, battleground Georgia could be key for a Trump victory.

And in must-win Pennsylvania, Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, out courting voters at a town hall and rallying supporters.

SEN. JD VANCE, (R-OH) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 38 days we're going to turn Pennsylvania red, send Kamala Harris packing, and send Donald Trump back to the White House.

BRUCE (voice over): His last campaign event ahead of the vice presidential debate this Tuesday, likely the last debate of the 2024 election.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RADDATZ: Our thanks to Mary out on the campaign trail.

I'm joined now by a top member of the GOP leadership, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota.

Good morning to you, Congressman. It’s great to have you here this morning.

You have been tapped to play Harris’ running mate, your fellow Minnesotan there, Governor Tim Walz, in Senator J.D. Vance’s debate prep. Can you tell us a little bit about how that’s going and what your approach is?

REP. TOM EMMER, HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP & (R) MINNESOTA: Well, my job – I've – I've known Tim, oh, probably since he was first elected almost a – 20 years ago. And I – I worked with him directly for four years. I spent the last month just going back, all of his old stuff to get his phrases down, his mannerisms, that sort of thing. My job was to be able to play Tim Walz so J.D. Vance knows what he’s going to see.

RADDATZ: What’s a little different than how you’re playing right now? A little more folksy? What – what – what is your vibe there?

EMMER: Yes, you – Tim’s been a complete disaster in Minnesota. And what’s happened is he’s so good at being this folksy, nice, kind of down to earth guy until people get to know him and his policies. I don’t know if you notice, but his whole congressional district, where he played this character for several years of being kind of a – a folksy, egg friendly, outdoorsman. He lost it in both of his gubernatorial races. In the last one, almost by 10 points. He’s not well liked because once you get to know the real Tim Walz, he’s like Gavin Newsom in a flannel shirt.

RADDATZ: I know you’ve been – been saying things like that. So, when you play him in a debate, what do you do? Have you had any mock debates yet? Have you actually played him for J.D. Vance?

EMMER: Well, the – the debate is on Tuesday night, so I'll let your – your viewers decide that. I'm not going to get ahead of J.D. and the team. If they want to talk about exactly what we did, when we did it, how many times, they can do that.

For me, I did my job – or have been doing my job in helping J.D. see what it is he’s going to be dealing with on Tuesday night. He’s going to do a great job. I can tell you, he’s got the issues on his side, Martha. He could talk about the economy that Donald Trump fixed and that Harris and Biden broke. He can talk about the border that Trump fix and they broke. He can talk about peace and stability around the world, which they don’t even have a clue. They’ve caused all of this disruption in – once he understands that Tim Walz is just going to try and deflect and go into this folksy whatever, he’ll hold him accountable. I think J.D. will do a great job.

RADDATZ: Well – well, let’s talk about some specifics there. You – you say you think J.D. will do a great job. So far Tim Walz’s favorability ratings are higher than J.D. Vance. In fact, recent national polls found anywhere from four in 10 to six in 10 voters hold unfavorable views of J.D. Vance. So – so, stop for just a moment with the criticism of Tim Walz and tell me what J.D. Vance has to do to change that favorability rating. That’s an important rating.

EMMER: First off, I know he’s going to do a great job on Tuesday. But second, Martha, I – of course, they want to focus on the Republicans. Let’s talk about Tim Walz. I just told you, he’s not a popular guy in Minnesota. This guy – actually Kamala Harris, once they – they just pushed Joe off the cliff and installed Kamala Harris, she instantly had a 10-point lead over Donald Trump. And guess what, it dropped by half and then by a little bit more after she added Tim Walz. So, here --

RADDATZ: Let’s – let’s talk – let’s go back to my question about J.D. Vance.

EMMER: People (ph) should get to know Tim Walz.

RADDATZ: Let’s go back to my question about J.D. Vance and those unfavourability ratings. Tim Walz’s are higher than J.D. Vance. So, J.D. Vance clearly wants to do something different to raise those favorability ratings. What does he do?

EMMER: I think J.D. is very likable and I think he’s well liked. And I don’t buy into these snapshot polls that are being done for a specific reason. If you’re not willing to – to agree that Tim Walz, once people get to know who he is and they know what his policies are, he’s more radical than Kamala Harris.

People do not like him once they get to know him. And J.D. will expose that on Tuesday.

RADDATZ: Vance, of course, has consistently praised Donald Trump, talking about him often. Trump, last night, called Kamala Harris mentally disabled. He said that Joe Biden became that way. She was born that way.

Do you think Kamala Harris is mentally disabled? Do you approve of that kind of language?

EMMER: I think Kamala Harris is the wrong choice for America. I think Kamala Harris is actually as bad or worse as the administration, that we’ve witnessed for the last four years, Martha.

You’ve got 20 percent inflation. You’ve got the average family spending $1,200 more a month for the same basket of goods they were buying just before the --

(CROSSTALK)

RADDATZ: Congressman, do you approve of that language? Do you approve of that language, Donald Trump calling her mentally disabled, mentally impaired?

EMMER: I think we should stick on the issues.

RADDATZ: So, you don’t approve of that, and you don’t think she is?

EMMER: I think we should stick -- I think we should stick to the issues. The issues are, Donald Trump fixed it once. They broke it. He’s going to fix it again. That -- those are the issues.

RADDATZ: OK, then -- then let’s -- let’s talk about one of the issues. And one of the issues is, of course, migrants.

I -- I can’t believe we’re still talking about this, but the baseless claims elevated by Vance and Trump that Haitian migrants were eating their pets. You know that Mike DeWine even, governor of Ohio, said that is just simply not true.

If the moderators in the debate ask Vance about this, should he finally make clear it is not true?

EMMER: Such a distraction. You -- the people in the mainstream media want to put up these shiny objects to distract people from what they see happen every day.

RADDATZ: Congressman, the – Congressman, Vance and Trump have talked about this.

EMMER: The economy is not working for everybody. The border is wide open.

RADDATZ: Vance and Trump have talked about this issue. They brought it up.

EMMER: I'm telling you, they’ve got to focus on the issues.

RADDATZ: They will focus on the issues?

EMMER: I think they’ve got to focus on the issues. And the issues are very clear. The economy works under Donald Trump. It doesn’t work under Kamala Harris.

The border is sealed under Donald Trump, and crime is under control. And the border is wide open, and Kamala Harris is going into Minnesota trying to bail out rioters and people who are attacking policemen with a bail fund.

It just -- the list goes on and on. It will be a very clear contrast between J.D. Vance and Donald Trump’s agenda, versus what Kamala Harris it talking about.

RADDATZ: I -- I want to --

EMMER: I don’t know why you guys don’t ask her about her price controls, about -- I mean she’s been way to the left.

RADDATZ: We -- we do ask her about that. But I want to say, Mary Bruce just reported that Harris announced down there on the border several immigration policies she’s pursued as president, barring immigrants who illegally cross the border from reentering the country for five years, enacting stricter criminal penalties for repeat offenders.

Do you oppose those policies?

EMMER: I'm going to tell you, do we believe her now, after she’s had almost four years to solve the border crisis? And all she did was make sure that it was wide open. She never even bothered to go to the border until just this past week. And that’s because this is one of the number one issues in the campaign.

Everyone knows that when Donald Trump was in office, the border was sealed. Everyone knows that since Kamala Harris has been in office, the border has been wide open.

And it’s not just people who are migrants who are trying to come to this country for a better life, it’s criminals, it’s gang members. Everybody knows that. It’s terrorists. People on the terrorist watch list.

Martha, this is too little too late. Nobody can believe her because her actions have said something completely different for four years.

RADDATZ: OK, I can see this is going to be a very lively debate on Tuesday night.

Thanks for joining us this morning, Congressman, I appreciate it.

EMMER: Thank you, Martha.

RADDATZ: And let’s bring in former Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who, until just weeks ago, was the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

Good morning. It’s good to see you, Ambassador.

And you broke some news this morning on X, announcing that you will support and endorse Kamala Harris.

Why now?

JEFF FLAKE, (R) FORMER ARIZONA SENATOR & FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY: Well, I couldn’t do it much before. Obviously, as ambassador, you can’t participate in partisan politics. But I'm happy -- certainly happy to do so now.

RADDATZ: And -- and tell me what you believe her strengths are. We just heard Congressman Emmer really zeroed in on the border. That she’s only been there twice. That she failed. That the border was wide open with the Biden-Harris administration.

You’re in a border state.

FLAKE: Right. Well, I'm happy that she went to the border, and I was pleased to hear what she had to say, if she wants to have a tougher policy than -- than the Biden administration has employed. And I think that that’s certainly needed.

And she’s been a prosecutor. She’s been a district attorney -- I'm sorry, an attorney general. She knows what it takes. She knows the problems of the border. So, I was glad to see her go down there.

RADDATZ: But you said you -- you hope to see something tougher than the Biden administration had. Were you critical of the border issue in the Biden-Harris administration? Do you think it needs much improvement?

FLAKE: Oh, I definitely think that we need to change our asylum policies in particular. And I think a lot of that would have been solved with the bill that the Senate worked out. I wish that that had continued forward, just like the bill that we had in 2013. I wish that that had passed. That would have done a lot to solve the problem.

RADDATZ: And you’re joining the ranks of several Republicans endorsing Harris recently. Notably Liz Cheney, Dick Cheney. Do you think it really makes a difference? Can you appeal to Republicans who may be on the fence?

FLAKE: Well, I think Republicans believe in the rule of law in particular. And it’s difficult to support a candidate who, having lost an election, tries to use the powers of the presidency to overturn that election. That is anything but respect for the rule of law. So, I know that a lot of conservative Republicans feel the way I do, that you just can’t support a candidate like that.

And – and with regard to tariffs as well, there are reasons to impose tariffs. But to pretend that we’re going to get a windfall of money from some foreign government because we’re imposing tariffs just doesn’t jive with what – where conservatives have been on free trade.

RADDATZ: I want to talk a little bit about your time as ambassador to Turkey for the Biden administration. Did you ever interact with Kamala Harris? How do you think she is qualified in her – your impression of her readiness to possibly be commander in chief?

FLAKE: I do think she’s ready. We saw her speak at the Munich Security Conference and in other international venues She understands what’s going on. She understands that we have real enemies abroad. But in particular, we have indispensable allies as well, and we need to support them and work with them if we’re to defeat Russia, certainly, and the growing threat of China. It was really stark watching the debate the other day and – and hearing the former president not be able to even cheer for Ukraine. And that’s – that’s a big issue for me and – and certainly for all of Europe who have spent a lot of time and blood and sweat and tears trying to help Ukraine, you know, and deal with this Russian threat. We have to support and work with our allies. And she understands that.

RADDATZ: Both the Harris and Trump campaigns have recently been focusing and courting Mormon voters in Arizona. I know you remember the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They make up about 6 percent of your state’s population. Mitt Romney is not endorsing Harris. Would your vote, would your endorsement with those Mormon voters, make a difference? And could those Mormon voters make a real difference in the presidential election?

FLAKE: Well, I – I – I won’t speak to that. Everyone makes their own decision. I can only speak for myself and – and where I am.

RADDATZ: And you – you don’t think the endorsement has any – do you think they should be courting the Mormon voters, the Democrats?

FLAKE: I think any candidate ought to court any votes that they can get. And – and I do think that – that Vice President Harris can win Arizona. I think she’s gaining here. And so I think she ought to court all voters. And I do believe that that includes moderate Republicans and conservative Republicans who believe in – in the rule of law, in limited government, the economic freedom, individual responsibility. She ought to recourt (ph) everyone. And I think she’ll do well here.

RADDATZ: Well, let’s go back to the border for a minute. You – you say you think she needs to do tougher things, that the Democrats need to have a tougher policy. That is not resonating. You have seen the polls. It is simply not resonating with voters. It is a huge venerability for the Democrats. So, how does she convince people that it will be tougher in time for Election Day?

FLAKE: Well, I think she’s doing that. And she outlined a couple of policies where she would be more – she would be tougher on the border, particularly with asylum policies. We’ve got to have a situation where we have comprehensive reform. One thing that she brings to the table is that she knows how to work on a bipartisan basis. And if we do immigration reform that endures, it’s going to have to be bipartisan.

So, I'm obviously very pleased that she would sign the legislation that was worked up in the Senate. That’s what we need to do. It needs to be bipartisan in order for it to be lasting.

RADDATZ: OK, thanks very much for joining us this morning. Good to see you.

FLAKE: Thank you.

RADDATZ: Thanks, Ambassador.Up next, after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah’s leader, will the threat of a wider war get worse. We’ll ask White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby.

We’re back in two minutes.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: The state of Israel has eliminated Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.

To our enemies, I say, we are strong and determined. To our partners, I would say, our world is your world. And to the people of Lebanon, I say our war is not with you. It's time to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RADDATZ: That was Israel's Defense minister confirming the assassination of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah had backed Hamas after the October 7th terror attacks on Israel, opening up a second front on the country's northern border, but in recent weeks, Israel engaged in a series of attacks intended to decimate Hezbollah's capabilities and its leadership. No move bigger than the killing of Nasrallah which has sent shockwaves through the Middle East.

ABC's chief foreign correspondent, Ian Pannell, has the latest from Beirut.

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IAN PANNELL, ABC NEWS CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The streets of Beirut are awash with shock and grief. Hassan Nasrallah, the father of the nation for millions of Lebanese, the revered leader of Hezbollah for more than three decades, is dead. Nasrallah who served as the group's leader since 1992 was killed in a series of massive Israeli air strikes targeting his underground headquarters in Beirut Friday.

GALLANT: He was an immediate threat to the life of thousands of Israelis and other citizens.

PANNELL: With Iranian funding, arms and support, Nasrallah transformed Hezbollah into a potent military and political force in Lebanon, drawing support and respect throughout the Shia crescent stretching from Iran, through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon for challenging and attacking Israel.

The 64-year-old firebrand leader had been in hiding for years. He was last seen in public 13 years ago in the same neighborhood where he died Friday. Long one of Israel's most wanted, he had to address his supporters by video as he did last week when he called Israel's attacks on Hezbollah with exploding pagers an act of war.

Hezbollah went to extraordinary lengths to conceal Nasrallah's whereabouts. "New York Times" reporter Neil MacFarquhar interviewed him in 2002.

NEIL MACFARQUHAR, THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER: We were taken in a darkened van with blindfolds on, driven around for a while, and then they led us into an apartment complex, not unlike those that were bombed.

PANNELL: America and Europe have long described Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. President Biden responding to the news of Nasrallah's killing in a statement Friday, saying, his death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.

It's been a good two weeks for Israel and a devastating stretch for Hezbollah. A senior U.S. official telling ABC News that the U.S. and Israel believe the IDF have now eliminated the top 30 or so leaders of Hezbollah during escalating attacks over the last several weeks, including killing one of the militant group's top commanders, Ibrahim Aqil, wanted by the U.S. for his role in the massive bombings of the American embassy and Marine Corps barracks in Beirut in 1983, which killed more than 240 Americans.

Following Nasrallah's death, the movement is in disarray, but there are still concerns this conflict will escalate further, with Israeli forces continuing to strike southern Beirut throughout the day Saturday and again today, and preparing for potential ground incursion into Lebanon.

MACFARQUHAR: Israel was probably trying to decapitate the organization so they would not have to invade, but it's not clear what Hezbollah will do with its vast arsenal in the absence of leader.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PANNELL (on camera): Martha, it speaks to the huge differences in this region, that there were tears for many, but also celebrations elsewhere in the region. Questions now about what happens to Hezbollah. Undoubtedly, it's definitely going to try to re-group, but we also have to wait and see how Iran responds.

There was a statement from Ayatollah Khamenei insisting that the resistance will continue, but honestly, it was a pretty muted response.

Meanwhile, President Biden continuing to push for a ceasefire, not just here in Lebanon, but also in Gaza -- Martha.

RADDATZ: Thanks so much, Ian Pannell in Beirut.

I’m joined now by White House national security communications adviser, John Kirby.

Good to see you, Admiral Kirby, this morning.

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: Thanks.

RADDATZ: Hezbollah has now basically had its leadership wiped out and hundreds if not thousands of operatives wounded or some dead. So who has the keys to Hezbollah now and what changes?

KIRBY: I don't think that's exactly clear, Martha, exactly how they're going to figure out what the leadership structure looks like. We fully expect that somebody will be anointed and somebody will probably try to take Mr. Nasrallah's place. He's been in command of Hezbollah for some 30 years. So, we'll see who they decide to put in charge and where this goes.

I think to your point, though, the command structure has been nearly decimated, thousands of missiles and drones destroyed by Israel over the last few days. There's no question that the Hezbollah today is not the Hezbollah that was even just a week ago.

RADDATZ: But they still have capability.

KIRBY: Clearly.

I mean, do you have any estimate of long range missiles or how much firepower still remains?

KIRBY: I don't think we have a clear picture of exactly how much capability they have but you're absolutely right. You can't just count them out. They still have quite a bit of capability left.

RADDATZ: And you know, the U.S., you, and everyone in the administration has talked about deescalating this conflict, calming it down, tamping it down.

But let me ask you this: why shouldn't Israel at this point when Hezbollah is so vulnerable when they've had so many people wiped out just go full bore after Hezbollah?

KIRBY: Look, I think to a degree, both things can be true, Martha. They have -- Israel has a right and a responsibility to eliminate this threat to their people and to their land, to their sovereignty.

It is a terrorist organization. They are still launching missiles and rockets at Israel, and they have a right to be concerned about whatever infrastructure remains of Hezbollah. This is a well-armed, well-resourced group.

At the same time, we believe that we do need to look for ways to deescalate the tensions to prevent this from coming an all-out war, which is why the G7 nations got together the other night and called for a 21-day ceasefire to see if we can't find time and space for diplomacy to work. Both things can be true at the same time.

RADDATZ: Of course, now, all eyes are on Iran. What do you expect Iran to do? First of all, their proxies are vulnerable right now, both of them Hamas and Hezbollah.

Will Iran itself respond? What are you seeing there? And the Houthis as well.

KIRBY: Well, the rhetoric certainly suggests they're going to try to do something. I mean, just coming out of Tehran. But we don't really know. We're watching this very, very closely, to see how -- if and how Hezbollah and/or Iran may react, as well as the militia groups in Iraq and Syria.

We have to be prepared for some sort of response. We have to make sure that we are ready and we -- and we are. We believe we have the force capability we need in the region.

But it's not clear right now. Too soon to know how Iran's going to react to this.

RADDATZ: And I know you say you have the force capability in the region. President Biden said yesterday: I directed my secretary of defense to further enhance the defense posture of U.S. military forces in the Middle East to deter aggression, reduce the risk of a broader regional war.

What -- what does that mean exactly? I know you've added some troops. Are they dozens? Are they hundreds? And what will they be doing?

KIRBY: There's a contingency of additional forces in the region right now to help us with any possible contingencies that might come up.

RADDATZ: Dozens more? I mean, I know we have 40,000 troops in the region.

KIRBY: Yeah, I don't want to get into the exact numbers or who these guys are, but -- but we did we -- did deploy some additional forces into the region.

I would tell you that there's other options available as well in terms of adding and enhancing that force posture. I’m not prepared this morning to talk about that in any great detail or make any announcements. That -- that'll be up to the commander-in-chief to do.

I would add, though, that we now have more force capability in the Middle East than we did in April when Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones.

So, there is already a very robust military capability to defend ourselves and to help defend Israel if it comes to that.

RADDATZ: What does Israel say when you tell them that there are repercussions for what they're doing? Which means our troops could be harmed.

KIRBY: I believe that the Israelis know very well, and not just from our conversations but they know because they live in a tough neighborhood that -- that the United States could also become and has become in the fact -- in fact, targets of some of these attacks, particularly by the militia groups. I think they understand that.

And we're having those discussions with them right now, about sort of what is the next best step or steps forward. At the same time, as the president said yesterday, we got to make sure we've got the ability to defend our troops and our facilities if it comes to that, and we believe we do.

RADDATZ: And if the situation does escalate, we certainly hope it does not. Are you absolutely certain we are prepared to get Americans out of Lebanon or -- or even Israel? Completely prepared?

I know -- I hate to look back on this, but Afghanistan, no preparation. I know it's very different. But are you confident you could do it this time?

KIRBY: We have contingency plans for evacuations in just about every corner of the world, Martha, and we are -- everything that we are doing and everything that Secretary Austin is doing at the Defense Department is to make sure we have the requisite capability and the planning and preparation capability available to us.

So we are working our way through that. I would add that right now, the State Department does not feel a need for that. That -- that there are still commercial operations, commercial air traffic that is getting out of Beirut and are still available to those Americans that want to leave.

We again urge Americans, if you're in Lebanon and you want to go, go now while these options are available to you.

RADDATZ: John, I have a very short period of time here, but should the hostage families still have hope? They are losing hope.

KIRBY: Yes. Yes. We want them to have hope. We have hope. We're not giving up on them.

And we -- absolutely, they need to know that President Biden is doing everything he can to make sure the team is focused on getting them home.

RADDATZ: OK, thanks so much for joining us, Admiral Kirby.

KIRBY: You bet (ph).

RADDATZ: Coming up, who has more to lose Tuesday night, Tim Walz or J.D. Vance?

Plus, the corruption scandal engulfing New York City's mayor. Could it shape who wins the U.S. House? The Roundtable is here for that and more.

We'll be right back.

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LLOYD BENTSEN (D), 1988 VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.

JAMES STOCKDALE (I), 1992 VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Who am I? Why am I here?

SARAH PALIN (R), 2008 VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Nice to meet you.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It’s a pleasure (ph).

PALIN: Hey, can I call you Joe?

BIDEN: You can call me Joe.

PALIN: OK. Thanks. Thanks.

PAUL RYAN (R), 2012 VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And our allies are less willing to –

BIDEN: With all due respect, that's a bunch of malarkey.

RADDATZ: And why is that so?

BIDEN: Because not a single thing he said is accurate. First of all –

RADDATZ: Be specific.

BIDEN: I will be very specific.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We’ll let’s get to that.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I – no, but, Susan, I – this is important. And I – and I want to add –

MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Susan, I – I have to weigh in here.

HARRIS: Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking.

PENCE: I have to weigh in.

HARRIS: I'm speaking.

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RADDATZ: Some memorable moments from the history of vice presidential debates. The powerhouse roundtable will break down the week's high-stakes faceoff between Tim Walz and J.D. Vance, now just two days away.

We're back in a moment.

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RADDATZ: Be sure to tune in for full coverage of the VP debate Tuesday night right here on ABC.

So, let's bring in the powerhouse roundtable.

“Politico” senior political columnist, Jonathan Martin, “New Yorker” staff writer, Susan Glasser, "Wall Street Journal" national politics reporter, Vivian Salama, and “Politico Playbook” co-author, Rachael Bade.

A lot of “Politico,” but a lot of politics today.

JONATHAN MARTIN, POLITICO SENIOR POLITICAL COLUMNIST: Yes.

RADDATZ: And, Jonathan, I'm going to – I'm going to start with you.

Sure.

RADDATZ: Hard to believe, 37 days until Election Day, and the – the big VP debate on Tuesday night. What are you expecting?

MARTIN: Yes.

RADDATZ: You – you heard Tom Emmer. You can kind of see what they're going to do there.

MARTIN: Yes, I think the – the Midwest nice between these two fellows is going to give away pretty darn fast. It will be a fairly contentious debate. And look, there could be a moment, you played the – the great line from Lloyd Bentsen there that we think about 20 years from now or it could be forgotten in 20 hours. I think either scenario is plausible.

We're in the era of Trump. Politics revolves around Donald Trump, I think, Martha, in the sense that Tim Walz and J.D. Vance, I'm just not sure that that's going to be the main event for the vast majority of voters in this country.

I do wonder, though, does this debate make Trump say, you know what? I’m not going to let J.D. Vance and Tim Walz have the last word. I want to get one more debate in before this thing is over.

RADDATZ: Yeah. We'll see about that. He's changed his mind before for sure.

Rachel, it -- you know, historically, they haven't really mattered unless there's some moment, but in many ways, because Donald Trump is 78 years old, there's going to be focus on J.D. Vance.

RACHAEL BADE, POLITICO PLAYBOOK CO-AUTHOR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTING POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, absolutely. And I think -- I do think though absent some big blunder by one of these candidates, it's not going to change much in the presidential race. I mean, if you look at what polls said voters believed at the first presidential debate, they thought Kamala Harris totally wiped the floor with Donald Trump and yet it didn't move her number as much.

But, you know, this is going to be a really interesting and heated matchup for the political junkies because if you think about these two men have been responsible for some of the most viral moments on the campaign trail. I mean, Walz calling Republicans weird, that went, you know, viral. J.D. Vance and his childless cat ladies, everyone has been talking about that even since it broke.

And they're both really smart and articulate men regardless of what you think of their politics. And -- I mean, it's going to get ugly. It's going to get ugly fast, and there's going to be zingers flying left and right.

RADDATZ: But they really -- you know, the -- from -- you got -- you've got Tim Walz who is kind of that folksy guy, but he hasn't really been a coach for -- for many, many, many years. Is that the Tim Walz we’ll see and we'll see the attacks come just as Emmer said, you know, Gavin Newsom in a flannel shirt?

SUSAN GLASSER, THE NEW YORKER STAFF WRITER: Yeah, I was really struck by that, Martha. I mean, the bottom line right is that J.D. Vance -- his biggest vulnerability might be the one that he goes on offense on which is authenticity. If he called Donald Trump the leader of his ticket, America's Hitler at one point in a private message to someone back in 2016, if you flip-flop on an issue as fundamental as whether or not Donald Trump is comparable to America’s Hitler, then it's going to be pretty hard to accuse someone like Tim Walz with his folksy Midwestern charm of being the flip-flopper in the race.

And I do think it's the classic Donald Trump. He's a huge believer, you know, that you don't sit and play defense. You go on offense. This is the biggest liability for J.D. Vance.

RADDATZ: But, Vivian, we haven't really seen a lot of interviews with Tim Walz. I mean, he seems to avoid the press in some ways. Kamala Harris obviously hasn't done very much of that either. Clearly, that is the strategy of the Democrats, so it puts even more focus --

MARTIN: Yeah.

RADDATZ: -- on Walz on -- at the debate.

VIVIAN SALAMA, WALL STREET JOURNAL NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Absolutely. This has been something that Republicans have been hitting them really hard on, and particularly, they've been using J.D. Vance as their vehicle to go out there and speak for -- on behalf of the Trump campaign.

He takes questions at his rallies even with hundreds of people there, and even coaxes the crowd a little bit. The crowd boos the journalists when they're asking questions, and it's become part of this sort of shtick that they do when they're on the road -- when he's on the road in particular.

And they do that to contrast the fact that Walz and Vice President Harris are really not available to the media. They say we're being transparent. We're available. We take hard questions from the media.

The fact that Walz has not done that yet, yes, there's going to be a lot of focus on Tuesday night on his answers but particularly also how he deals with any potential, you know, missteps, any zingers that Vance throws at him, people are going to be watching him very closely to see how he handles.

MARTIN: Martha --

RADDATZ: Jon, yeah, back to you. Like why are they doing that? Why are they keeping them kind of locked up in terms of dealing with the press on a daily basis?

MARTIN: I think part of the reason why the Harris campaign is so eager for a second debate is because they know it's a good format for her and candidly because they know the interviews are not a great format for her, and that when she is prepped, when she is going through her emotions, like with the convention speech, like with the debate that she can really perform well. She's just not as effective on TV and they recognize that.

I think that's the entirety of the strategy.

RADDATZ: And yet they've got -- the Trump campaign saying like using that against the Democrat.

MARTIN: Absolutely. And so, here's the question, if Trump doesn't give her a second debate, do they have to shift in October and take some risk, Martha, put her out there on TV, maybe go further than they want?

I talked to a Harris person yesterday who said we need more tent poll moments, they need more big set pieces. And if Trump doesn't give them a debate, they're going to have to I think take some chances on their own.

I asked a Trump staffer, I said what are the chances that we see a second debate? One to ten, what -- what are the odds? The answer was three.

GLASSER: Well, the truth is though that we all know Donald Trump is as you put it a creature of television and for him to sit there and say, oh, no, I’m just going to cede a news cycle, I find that --

MARTIN: Yeah, for a month.

GLASSER: -- hard to believe. You know, we -- of what we know and we know a lot at this point about Donald Trump's psychology.

But to the point about the interviews, and it's fascinating to see how effective Vance and Trump's campaign has been at getting across the idea, well, they don't answer tough questions, and this, you know, Tom Emmer said it again, well, we should just talk about the issues. I'm really struck by that because what is it that Donald Trump --

RADDATZ: I did not bring up the pets, and eating pets.

GLASSER: Of course not. So what is it that Donald Trump --

RADDATZ: J.D. Vance brought it up. Donald Trump brought it up.

GLASSER: And what is it that they say when they, "talk about the issues?" Like, Donald Trump's policy position is, I'm going to wave my magic wand and all the problems of the world are going to go away. The idea that there is a substantive, you know, issues-based policy that is coming out of these interactions with -- largely on Trump's case, you know, the pro-Trump media, and his rallies, is just a fallacy.

His policy in Ukraine is, I will wave my magic wand and in 24 hours, the war will be over. His policy on the economy is, I will impose massive tariffs on everything, and then just as if, you know, some kind of amazing scenario has come to pass, the economy will be great. Other countries' economies will fold.

RADDATZ: The border -- and the border is his issue.

SALAMA: Right.

RADDATZ: The border, you can look at those statistics and yes, right now things are improving, be you when you look and you compare those records, that is something Donald Trump can really drill down on.

SALAMA: Absolutely. They have been non-stop, and that was the whole reason that Vice President Harris went out to the border this past week, because they felt that they needed the optics (ph) of her walking around the border with border patrol to show that she's paying attention to it, but also the fact that they need to now counter this message to show, yes, we recognize that this is a crisis and we are trying to address it.

Trump, of course, calling her the border czar, kind of attaching the crisis to her in particular because President Biden empowered her to handle it, to take charge of it, and that is something that has been a major vulnerability for Democrats and continues to be regardless of Vice President Harris' attempts to then get ahead of the message and show that Democrats can be tough on immigration while still also adhering to the law.

RADDATZ: And I want to switch now and all eyes on New York this week in that unprecedented indictment of Mayor Eric Adams. Basically, one count of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, two counts of solicitation of a contribution from a foreign national, and one count of bribery. He faces up to 45 years. Rachael, he's saying, I didn't do it.

BADE: Yeah. Of course, he's saying I didn't do it at this point. I mean, and saying he's going to -- he's going to stay and maintain his position. I mean, the interesting thing I have been sort of watching --

RADDATZ: But -- yeah, look at the --

BADE: Yeah.

RADDATZ: I mean, it's a reliably Democratic state.

BADE: Right.

RADDATZ: This could have an effect on those House races there.

BADE: Yeah. That's where I was actually going to go, Martha. I mean, it's been interesting to watch Republicans try to use this to divide Democrats and keep these House seats that they need, really need to keep the majority. These are Biden-carried districts that Democrats believe they can pick off, but Republicans are trying to sort of tie Democrats to Eric Adams, say, look, these guys are corrupt.

Elise Stefanik was out there saying, Democrats are supporting a "culture of corruption." But look, Republicans in the state, they have their own skeletons here too. I mean, just a few days ago, we saw that big story about Anthony D'Esposito, another New York Republican who had put his fiancee's kid on his payroll and a woman he was having an affair with on the side also on his payroll. Elise Stefanik wasn't saying much about that, let's just say that.

(CROSSTALK)

RADDATZ: And Hakeem Jeffries has not asked for his resignation?

BADE: He -- he has not at this point. But a lot of the New York Democrats have -- they had asked for him to step aside, and yet you do not see New York Republicans turning on one of their own who has his own ethical problems.

(CROSSTALK)

RADDATZ: Susan, I mean -- I -- we just have about 25 seconds here. I want to end here with Susan. Jimmy Carter turns 100 -- 100 this week. That is extraordinary.

GLASSER: Yeah.

RADDATZ: Just a quick thought on his legacy.

GLASSER: You know, first of all, let's just say that the fact he is making it this far -- this is a guy who has outlived all the guidelines for hospice care. Remember, at the moving funeral for his wife, Rosalynn, we all thought this was it. He's a reminder that there are second, and third, and fourth, and fifth acts in American public life.

RADDATZ: It's true. A remarkable, remarkable man.

Up next, we travel to Israel's northern border to see the impact of the battle between Israel and Hezbollah. My conversation with two residents there with whom I've reported for over 36 years. We're back in a moment.

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RADDATZ: Israel says its decision to launch major strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon was in large part so the 60,000 Israelis who have been displaced along Israel's northern border could return home.

Those 60,000 residents faced an increasing barrage of rocket and missile strikes after the October 7th massacre and were forced to evacuate.

I just returned from Israel, and while there, traveled north to visit an American woman I met 36 years ago. She lives with her family just outside the evacuation zone, but still very much in the line of fire.

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RADDATZ (voice-over): High on a mountaintop in the shadow of the Lebanese border is Kibbutz Tuval, a small community home to just 400 people.

How are you?

SUSAN NIRENS, KIBBUTZ TUVAL, ISRAEL RESIDENT: I'm good. How are you?

RADDATZ: I'm good.

RADDATZ (voice-over): It was our reunion for us. Susan Nirens who is battling an aggressive form of breast cancer, has lived here with her husband Paul for 36 years. That's us today on that mountaintop path and that's us back in 1988, when I first met Susan after she left Massachusetts as an idealistic 28-year-old helping to run the kibbutz's dairy farm.

NIRENS: I suppose if I lived in the States, I wouldn't be doing that today. I actually do not know what I would be doing. I can tell you it wouldn't be this.

RADDATZ: In the nearly four decades since, Susan and Paul raised four children and now have a granddaughter. That quiet life she expected, now disrupted by missile fire to the north.

Are you nervous here now?

NIRENS: Very. On a personal level, I feel like I'm in two wars at the same time. A personal war with a disease and around me is a war that's even more frightening.

RADDATZ (voice-over): Susan and Paul aware how lucky they are not to have had to evacuate.

The kibbutz is just a little more than 10 miles from the border. The people here say they feel safe for now, but they realize the war could get much closer.

RADDATZ (voice-over): And they have already been deeply affected by what has happened south of them. Paul's cousin, one of the nearly 1200 Israelis brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7th.

NIRENS: And we remember Paul writing to her when she was in her security room, and he was communicating with his three cousins, and she was saying, I can't get the door closed. I can't get the door closed. I can't keep the door closed. And four days later, they found her body.

RADDATZ (voice-over): But nearly a year later, Susan in disbelief that the war in Gaza has not ended. The hostages still captive.

RADDATZ: When you've seen the war play out in Gaza, what's your reaction?

S. NIRENS: I think this war should have ended a long, long time ago, and the civilian casualties in Gaza are beyond my imagination. I don't blame it all on Israel. I think that Hamas is a cruel organization, and its first cruelness was to the Gazan people. Its second cruelness was to the Israeli people. And I feel right now, that we have really been taken for a ride by our government.

RADDATZ (voice-over): The kibbutz is bordered by this village, Deir al-Asad, home to many Arab Israelis, Arabs who accepted Israeli citizenship. When I first visited Deir al-Asad in 1988, I met Jamal Assadi, a then 27-year-old whose family has lived in the village for generations. 36 years ago, he predicted conflict would persist.

JAMAL ASSADI, ISRAELI RESIDENT: I am pessimistic, I think -- I think there will be the wasteland here, and now people here are hard-boiled. You don't, you know, try to find solutions. They are not ready to compromise, and I think they are, you know, going to make destruction here.

RADDATZ (voice-over): And remarkably, we found Jamal again 36 years later. His views only solidified.

ASSADI: It is war everywhere. It is horrifying. I mean, I fear for my country. I want my country to stay and to live, but not in the -- of course, under these conditions.

RADDATZ (voice-over): For nearly four decades, Assadi says he has only wanted one thing.

ASSADI: It's very difficult to live this way. We know that we live in Israel. We are loyal to the State of Israel. But on the other hand, we feel that our state is destroying our nation. It's destroying our people, and we want peace.

RADDATZ (voice-over): Today, that peace still only a dream for Assadi.

ASSADI: Peace can stop everything, and we want peace.

RADDATZ (voice-over): And for the Nirens as well.

RADDATZ: Would you ever have believed 36 years ago, when you moved here, that this is what you would be dealing with today?

S. NIRENS: I never understood then how people could live like that for years, and I never wanted it to happen again. It's an unreal way to live.

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RADDATZ (on camera): I checked back in with Susan Nirens this weekend after Nasrallah's assassination. Susan told me, with the strikes intensifying, life in Tuval has come to a halt, even her chemotherapy has been moved next to a shelter for safety. We'll be right back.

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RADDATZ: Thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with us, and tune into ABC Tuesday night for coverage of the vice presidential debate.

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